Sunday, December 19, 2010

Robert Doyle has been on the boozer racking up over $10,000 in plying his mates and associates with free alcohol (top shelf booze) to lubricate the discussions and Town hall deals. Any excuse for a party at no cost. of course Council CEO Kathy Alexander tries to justify the Free booze policy because a drunk Councillor is unlikely to pay detailed attention to what gos on behind the closed doors of Town Hall. after all if they all have their snouts in the tough they can not complain about others doing likewise. Doyle joins a host of ex-pollies that have suffered the "bit to much drink whilst on the job". Most notable being former disgraced Democrats Senate leader Andrew Bartlett who would turn up in the Senate chamber pissed as a newt abusing his fellow Senators.

Questions are being asked as to the Council's responsibility and right to supply alcohol to staff and guests. It certainly does not come under the umbrella of out of pocket expenses unless they mean "output of your pocket and into theirs" expenses.

The City Council is also liable for any accidents that might arise from staff who seek to over indulge in Christmas cheer sipping on free alcoholic drinks. Occupational Health and Safety might frown on such activities should a member of staff be injured or worst still injure someone else on the way home. Victoria Police are well advised to set up a booze bus near the Council car park exit

The free drinks LM booze bar should be closed down and if the Councillors and staff want a drink then they should visit a licensed bar outside of the Council and pay for their own drinks and not expect ratepayer's to pick up the tab.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Ravnsborggade visualisation, courtesy of the City of Copenhagen/Ekstrakt

Case

Copenhagen - Pocket parks, a drop of urban green

Green cities are on the rise. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is one of the cities trying to improve the urban environment and deal with the daily green needs and desires of its inhabitants. One way of doing so is pocket parks: Open green spaces at a very small scale, often created on vacant building lots or on irregular pieces of land.

Copenhagen has a vision of becoming the capital city in the world with the best urban environment by 2015. The enhancement of urban green is one of the tools for reaching this vision. Within the next 7 years, the municipality will establish 14 pocket parks throughout the city and plant 3,000 trees to create green streets and connections. The goal is that 90 % of all Copenhageners by 2015 can walk to a park, a beach or a harbour bath in less than 15 minutes.

A pocket park is a small park accessible to the general public. It is only a few house lots in size and typically created on vacant building lots or small irregular pieces of land. Functions include spaces for relaxation, meeting friends, taking lunch breaks, reading a book, play areas for children etc. Often pocket parks are placed around a monument, a historic mark or in relation to an art project.

"Pocket parks are a unique opportunity to create drops of urban green close to where Copenhageners live."Klaus Bondam, Mayor for Technical and Environmental Administration, City of Copenhagen

The City of Copenhagen highlights 5 elements key to the creation of pocket parks in Copenhagen:• Size• A visible green element• Openness and a positive image• Demarcation and protection• Identity and local community

A pocket park is defined as less than 5,000 square meters - less than half the size of a soccer field. The green element is visible and a clear priority, preferably with a focus on long-term solutions, i.e. vegetation that becomes more green and attractive in time. The park has to be open and inviting to everybody and signs have to be positive and informative. Special consideration must be given to lighting so the park feels safe, also after dark.

A characteristic feature of a pocket park in Copenhagen is that it has to be situated between other elements in the city; Buildings, walls, maybe a green wall, or art installations. A clear demarcation must be visible on three sides so that it stands out as a “pocket.” Each park will have its own identity and has to be developed specifically to the site in question. Involvement of local residents in the development process is important to ensure that the park fits the needs and desires of the local community.

Besides serving the local community, the establishment of pocket parks throughout Copenhagen also has the potential to benefit the overall urban climate. Communities with parks that meet their needs within walking distance are less likely to drive out of the city for nature experiences, thereby reducing pollution and traffic. Furthermore, pocket parks can potentially relieve pressure on the larger parks, thus allowing flexibility to devote larger areas of the parks to habitat and ecological functions.

In a city strategy from May 2008, the establishment of pocket parks in Copenhagen will go hand in hand with the creation of green streets and connections. The vision is to create a green liveable city with quality and variation which will be a role model in featuring urban environmental responses to global warming.

Green connection along the harbour front, courtesy of the City of Copenhagen/Ekstrakt

Friday, November 26, 2010

The Age editorial endorsing the return of a Brumby Government highlighted the need for State planners and political parties to adopt policy that can contain the urban sprawl and growth of Melbourne. Both Labor and the Liberal Party have failed to put in place policies and planning for melbourne's future growth. This is the most pressing issue confronting Melbourne today.

In order to facilitate good governance and planning for Melbourne's future it needs a central enlarged Greater Melbourne City administration.

The Greens candidate for Melbourne, Brian Walters, when ask to outline his policy and vision for a Great City of Melbourne stated he had no policy, no vision and proposal to address this issue. A policy free zoned on what is one of the most important environmental planning decision facing his electorate and the state.

Brian Walters does not deserve your support. His only issue of concern has been his desire for recognition of Gay Marriage, An issue that falls within the authority of the Federal Marriage act is is not an issue of great concern to the Melbourne City electorate. Much more pressing issues such as the need for a Greater Melbourne City Council have been ignored

It is for this reason and the need to ensure we have a strong stable government that the Green's should not be elected to represent inner city seats.

WANT to know what lord mayor Robert Doyle is having for breakfast? Melbourne City Council is recruiting a full-time tweeter on a salary of up to $78,111, plus super, to keep its constituents up-to-date with the council's every machination.

The tweeter, to be known as social media coordinator, will be expected to keep abreast of computing trends and experiment with social media to give exposure to the council's programs and website.

Council chief executive Kathy Alexander said the communications branch had been restructured and the new role would incorporate social networking for the That's Melbourne brand, with more online interaction for the council itself.

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The new position of social media coordinator comes as experts debate the impacts on society of smartphones and other social technologies, at a summit being held in Melbourne.

British neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, one of the panelists at this week's Knowledge Cities summit, said those who were over-reliant on smartphones could become addicted to short, shallow interactions and become uncomfortable face-to-face. She said those who used phones to constantly access Twitter and Facebook had a ''dodgy sense of identity'' and were seeking constant reassurance and feedback for everyday experiences.

However, Deloitte Digital's chief executive office Peter Williams said such technologies were better than reading because they were less passive, stimulated wider parts of the brain and allowed quick access to useful information. ''These technologies create a whole new world of knowledge, learning and opportunity,'' he said.

The CSIRO's Dr James Bradfield Moody said smartphones were the ''digital version of you'' and neither good nor bad. ''It is your way of interfacing with the world and it's all about how you use it,'' he said.

Baroness Greenfield and Mr Williams will appear at The Great Brain Debate today at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Decking the rail yards is a good idea. Melbourne is in desperate need large expansive open hard edged open space such as St Peters in Rome.

Our agoraphobic fear of open space has left Melbourne without an accessible outdoor temporary exhibition space. No where in Melbourne is there outdoor space suitable for major cultural events exhibitions or public gatherings.

Federation Square is not a square but more of a undulating forecourt. It's design and planning a complete disaster.

Question is does Brumby have a real vision and will he get it right?

Jeff Kennett didn't.

Kennett had a chance to incorporate the Museum into an expanded Federation square but didn't. Instead of taking center stage the Museum is now located in the inner suburb of Carlton and is languishing as a result from poor attendance and recognition.

Brumby when opposition leader in 1996 had a chance to stop the Museum being built in Carlton but backed down in the last minute. Another lost opportunity and lack of vision and proper planning for Melbourne.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Embattled and disgraced Bob Cameron has announced his resignation from State Parliament. His resignation is long overdue and he will not be missed. Cameron's Seat in Bendigo was in doubt as it was listed as one of the ALPs seats that could be lost.

Bob Cameron will be remembered for his disastrous term as Local Government Minister and his decision to adopt a directly elected Lord Mayor or Melbourne. The process of review undertaken by Bob Cameron of the City of Melbourne was a behind closed doors approach. No submissions were published . It was difficult to determine exactly on what basis Cameron supported or recommended the direct election model. The Melbourne Ratepayer's Association opposed the direct election model as did the various residential associations citing a lack of accountability and a distortion in the representative structure. Many submissions advocated an increase in the size of the Council and the need for the Lord Mayor to be elected by the City Council. Requests that fell on death ears.

If Melbourne is to continue to retain the direct election option it needs to separate the role of chairman from the office of the Lord Mayor, The number of Councillors need to be increased from seven to nine.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Cheap offensive and lacking cultural sensitivity. That is some of the responses given to the proposed "big Brother" like image that will be enthroned on Melbourne latest signature building dominating the city scape. The building on the former CUB site is the bookend of Melbourne's Swanston Street with the Shrine at the other end. Its design is so lackluster that it needs a gimmick such as a portrait to make it noticeable. The image of indigenous leader William Barak.

Is this another Bamboo Rob planning and design mistake or the output of Melbourne's failed City Square designer come "State Architect"?

Cr Doyle, who is also chairman of Melbourne Health, told 774 ABC Radio: ''I don't know of a case of cancer that has been caused by passive smoking.''

When told there has been, he said: ''Have there? Really? I don't know of one. I am happy to be corrected.''

The lord mayor was discussing plans by Monash City Council to consult residents about the possibility of banning smoking at outdoor cafes and sporting events. He said there had been no discussion at Melbourne City Council to extend smoking bans.

Mike Daube, professor of health policy at Curtin University and president of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, said: ''There is very clear evidence on passive smoking and lung cancer. The lord mayor should be ashamed of himself for making a comment like that. It sounds to me very ill-informed and irresponsible.''

Mr Daube said Cr Doyle was behind the times, with jurisdictions throughout Australia - including Western Australia - introducing laws to curb smoking at outdoor cafes.

''It is the sort of comment you used to get in the 1970s and '80s.''

The chairman of lung service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Associate Professor David Ball, said no one knows the point at which tobacco smoke becomes safe.

Professor Ball, who has worked at Peter MacCallum for more than 30 years, said: ''The most sensible advice I would give to people is to avoid tobacco smoke altogether.

''We know that about 10 per cent of people who are lung cancer sufferers have never smoked, so the cause of their cancer is unclear and it would not be unreasonable to conclude that some of those people may have caught it from the cancer-producing substance in tobacco smoke that they may have been exposed to, either through their contact with relatives or close family members.''

Professor Ball supported banning smoking in outdoor dining areas.

''We think any strategy that reduces tobacco smoking is a good thing. Tobacco smoking is the biggest reversible cause of illness and cancer death in our society.''

Saturday, September 11, 2010

There is ongoing concern about the flaw in the way the Australian Electoral Commission calculate the surplus transfer value used in counting the Senate vote. the senate uses a system of Single Transferable Voting - Proportional Representation.

The problem with the Senate system is that it was designed to facilitate a manual counting process. The method used to calculate the surplus transfer value is seriously flawed as a result.

Analysis of the 2007 Senate vote indicated that ALP Senator David Feeney could have lost his seat had One Nation preference the Liberal Party ahead of the ALP. Feeney would have lost not as a result of the voters intention but because the system used by the AEC delivered the Liberal/National Party an additional bonus of 7,000 votes.

The formulas used by the AEC divides a candidate's surplus by the number of ballot papers and does not take into consideration the value of the vote.

Analysis of the NSW ticket votes based on the output of ABC's Antony Green's Calculator shows that the Liberal National Party ticket vote increases in value by over 14,000 votes. In a close election 14,000 votes can make a big differences. the system is clearly flawed but no one is trying to fix it.

Disgraced former Queensland Democrat Senator, come failed Green Candidate for Brisbane , Andrew Bartlett, is in denial. Mr Bartlett claims the system is not flawed.

Clearly Mr Bartlett is not as well informed as he thinks he is (Too many stolen red wine bottles)

Electoral Analyst, Antony Green, wrote a paper in 2008 confirming our previous analysis of the 2007 Victorian Election. But even Antony Greens assessment and confirmation is not good enough for Mr Bartlett who still defends the indefensible current Senate voting system.

His blind support could have something to do with the fact that the Greens have been the beneficiary of the Liberal party's Bonus vote.

Andrew Bartlett does not understand how the vote is counted.

He could be forgiven in part, because Antony Greens Senate calculator is also misleading. The Green Calc does not list out in detail the method used in calculating the Surplus Transfer Values.

Antony Green use of terminology such as "Raw votes" and "votes" is also misleading.

Under AEC rules the Surplus Transfer value is calculated by dividing the value of a candidate's surplus by the number of ballot papers.

For the ill informed such as Andrew Bartlett this sounds reasonable but if your take the time to analyse and calculate the actual surplus transfer value you soon realise that the system is seriously flawed. the reason is simple. Not all votes that dorm part of a candidate's surplus are of the same value. Some are allocated at a fraction of value and others may be at full value. If you divide the surplus usually based on the number of ballot papers then you are in effect increasing that value of Major Party tickets votes at the expense of minor party primary votes.

If we are to restore confidence in the way the Senate vote is counted then we MUST ensure that the system is an accurate reflection of the voters expressed intention and is fully proportional not semi proportional.

As long as we have misinformed advocates such as Andrew Bartlett hope that the system will be fixed is not looking good

If we can not make the necessary changes and fix the system then we should abandon preferential proportional representation and adopt a party list system.Missing from Antony Greens Calculator is the calculation of the surplus and the Surplus transfer value. Below is the calculations that demonstrate how the Senate system works

Data presented below is based on output published by Antony Green's Senate Calculator for the State of NSW 2010 Election

NSW

[Count 1: Initial allocation]

There are 1,584,909 Primary vote ballot papers each having a value of 1 allocated to the LNP #1 Candidate: Total vote 1,584,909

1,584,909 ballot papers are transferred to LNP #3 each ballot paper valued now at 0.268313827, the total value = 425,253 (Below Quota)

[Exclusion of candidate process]

OK. At this stage the data is the same (But Antony Greens calculator has not published the break down or the formula used in calculating the value of the transfer value and the number of ballot papers held by the candidate. This information is sadly hidden from view - Why is that?)

[The LNP #3 candidate picks up votes from the following exclusions]

[Count 7: Meg SAMPSON (Group K Independents) excluded]

313 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Group K Ticket 1 of 3 Total number of ballot papers 1,584,909 @ 0.268313827 plus 313 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 425,566

[Count 18: Nick BEAMS (Socialist Equality Party) excluded]

1,199 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Socialist Equality Party Ticket 2 of 3. Total number of ballot papers 1,586,421 @ 0.268313827 plus 1,512 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 426,765

[Count 28: Greg SWANE (Family First) excluded]

38,371 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Family First. Total number of ballot papers 1,586,421 @ 0.268313827 plus 39,883 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 465,136

[Count 29: Fiona CLANCY (Australian Democrats) excluded]

5,609 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Family First. Total number of ballot papers 1,586,421 @ 0.268313827 plus 45,492 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 470,745

79,157 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group). Total number of ballot papers 1,586,421 @ 0.268313827 plus 124,649 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 549,902.

[Count 32: Jim Gerard MUIRHEAD (Shooters and Fishers) excluded]

95,292 Primary vote ballot papers are transferred at full value on the exclusion of Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group). Total number of ballot papers 1,586,421 @ 0.268313827 plus 219,941 ballot papers at full value of 1.00000: Total value of votes 645,194. (LNP Candidate #3 elected)

Under the AEC rules the Surplus Transfer value is calculated by dividing the Surplus by the total number of ballot papers

65,366 divided by (1,005,081 + 219,941) = 0.03621686

The LNP ticket vote is worth the value of 57,400 votes (87.81%) of 65,366The Primary Full value votes are now worth 79,66 votes (12.19%) 65,366

[The LNP ticket vote has increased its percentage of the Total value from 65.91% to 87.81%) and the Primary Full value votes have been devalued from 34.09% to 12.19%]

This represents a Bonus value of:

The LNP Ticket vote

65366 at 65.91% = 43,08365366 at 87.81% = 57,400

A increase in value of 14,317

The Primary minor party full value vote65366 at 34.09% = 43,08365366 at 12.19% = 7,965

[Devalued by 14,317 votes]

14, 317 votes can be the difference in a close election.

This came about as a result of a FLAW in the way the vote is counted. A flaw that Mr Bartlett thinks does not exist. A flaw that inflated the Major Party Ticket vote at the expense of the minor party vote.

A flaw in the way the vote is counted that should not exist.

A flaw that needs to be corrected not hidden from view

A flaw that some seek to hide and some who are ex members of parliament, ex Democrats. No Green Candidates think does not exist.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

There is growing concern that the Greens may do a deal to favour the Liberal National party in November's State election.

This prospect of a deal comes as senior members of the National Party question the merit behind the Liberal party preferencing the Green's Candidate Adam Brandt in the Federal Seat of Melbourne.

Pat McNamara, former National party Leader, has stated that he would prefer to see Bronwyn Pike and Dick Wynne elected then a Green Candidate. McNamara questioned what value was in it for the coalition to reference the Greens in inner city seats if there was no benefit or preference flowing back to the Coalition?

Analysis of the recent Federal Election results indicate that the Greens could win the seats of Melbourne and Richmond but only on the back of Liberal party preferences.

The Greens new alliance with the ALP Federally might come under closer scrutiny and generate some tension in the partnership as they decide who is their best bed partner in the State arena

We can expect some fast and hard horse trading between now and the November State poll,

Andrew Wilkie's concern about Australia's addition to gambling is not isolated and he joins fellow South Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon in trying to curb the impact of gaming and the State governments addition to the gaming dollar.

One solution that has not yet been widely canvases is the proposal to have all gaming in Australia to be via a registered electronic gaming card similar to a debit card, removing the cash economy and providing a means of monitoring and limiting problems associated with gambling.

The Commonwealth Government can introduce a gaming card through its national financial and banking powers.

A gaming card can be issued only on production of photo ID a passport and or Tax file number. One card per person.

Problem gamblers could have limits placed on their betting habits or even denied access to an account. An electronic gaming card would also prevent the misue use of gaming as a means of laundering money.

Gaming cards could be issued by a central gaming authority database at licenced establishments.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The results of the Melbourne Federal Election has raised the bar in the forthcoming State election with the seats of Melbourne, Richmond and Brunswick up for grabs.

Analysis of the results show that both Labor and the Liberal Party lost votes to the Greens. The Greens "Its time" "This time I will vote Green" campaign hit its mark.

35% was impressive and beyond expectations. What was also of interest was that the Liberal vote declined from 24% down to 19% indicating that the Liberal party may have played dead in the campaign. Other parties also experienced a drop in their vote

Informal votes (19%) , Sex Party (1.8%*), Family First (43%) and the Greens (58%) all produced an increase (Expressed as a percentage *Sex Party a first time entrant).

At the same time the Liberal Party (-15%), ALP (-20%) and the Democrats (-58%) all experienced a decline in support. The Democrats as a percentage of their support being the greatest loser.

Much of the unexpected win was without any doubt a pox on both your houses. The tell tale sign being the low turnout which at present is 20% below expectation.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The night of the long knives. There are many within the Victorian ALP that have set their sights on Sussex Street and the poor performance of the ALP CHQ (Campaign headquarters).

CHQ is criticized for running a disastrous campaign. They are the ones that tried to stage manage the event to the point where they placed the re-election of the ALP in the situation they now find themselves in. CHQ, based in Sydney, has steered the Federal election towards the rocks and the forthcoming shipwreck of the NSW State >abor Party. They should not have been allowed to manage the campaign.

As long as there is chance that the ALP can form a minority government the knives waiting CHQ and the NSW right will remain clenched tight behind backs waiting for the first strike.

Given the extent of the outcome Julia Gillard may be well advised to go into opposition and bide her time and start her campain for election from day one. She will only have to wait 18 months before the fragile coalition begins to crumble and a double dissolution is called.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Julia Gillard has managed to hold on to what is a cliff hanger of an election. Neither the incumbent or the opposition leader can claim a win.

Convention has it that the incumbent prime-minister/government remains in office until the Governor General is advised otherwise. It could be that Julia calls for decision to be tested in the floor of the house with a vote of confidence in the government.

Questions to be considered by the Independents. Which Party held the majority of votes national wide and just as important which party contributed to the independents election.

Whilst the ALP has lost its majority the Liberal Party has also failed to secure a majority.

Odds are Australia will be going back to the polls if not within three months within the next 18 months.

The newly elected Senate will not take office until July 2011. We can expect that the next election will also be held on the back of a double dissolution no matter which party forms government.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Julia Gillard has alienated many Victorian supporters in her call for Brisbane to unite against Collingwood. This sort of divisive politics has marred her campaign.

Gillard is a highly capable member of parliament and her ascendancy to the Prime-ministership is welcomed... but did she have to attack Collingwood. This may have been a major tactical error . An error that could cost Labor a third senate seat as it struggles to achieve 42% support.

As prime-minister Gillard has to govern for all of Australia, whilst she should be entitled support the Western Bulldogs, there was no need for her to attack one of Australia's greatest Football teams. Collingwood.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Melbourne's newest neighbourhood "Docklands" and the addition of 5,000 new voters in the Melbourne Federal electorate will save Melbourne from a Green challenge.

Despite effort by the media to talk up the Greens chances of winning Melbourne, Melbourne's newest resident's are expected to give the Liberal Party the edge relegating the Greens to third place and out of contention to win the seat of Melbourne

Dockland resident's and Melbourn'a first time voters are expected to favour the Liberal Party boosting the Liberal Party's vote over 25%.

In 2007 the Liberal Party polled a primary vote of 23.5%, 610 votes ahead of the Greens who only polled 22.8%. After preferences the Liberal Party fell short by 591 votes a margin of 0.67% in a head to head contest against the Greens.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Mark Latham, former and rejected Labor Leader, posing as a Journalist confronted Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday in an extraordinary act of unprofessional behaviour which reflects poorly on the Channel Nine network.

Latham is not a professional Journalist as his behaviour demonstrated. It is not known if Latham is even a member of the AJA.

Latham's actions were uncalled for and inappropriate.

Mark Latham lost the 2004 Federal Election and his standing within the Labor party is minimal, even less as a result of his actions yesterday. He appears to have been acting more out of spite and resentment then pursuing a professional journalsit career. Even Channel Nine was taken back by Latham's abuse that the head of Nine called Julia Gillard to appology for Latham's behaviour

Saturday, August 07, 2010

The Australian Greens is set to elect a Senator in Victoria on the back of One Nation preferences to the Liberal party ahead of the Australian labor Party.

All being equal, analysis of the 2007 Victorian Vote using the 2010 ticket allocations has shown that the Greens will receive an additional bonus value arising from a flaw in the way in which the Senate vote is counted. The distortion in the proportionality gives the Liberal Party a bonus of over 7,000 votes derived from minor parties who are excluded from the count. This inflates the Liberal Party ticket vote and when transferred to the Greens tips them over the line and denying the labor Party a third senate seat.

Under the current rules a candidates surplus transfer value is calculated by dividing the surplus value by the number of ballot papers, disproportionately to the value of the vote. This inflated the value of the Liberal Party ticket vote which before being transferred represents only 20% of the surplus but under the AEC paper based formula the new transfer value carries 80% of the value of the surplus.

The Australian Parliament Joint Standing Committee on Electoral matters, which Melbourne Port's Micheal Danby as a member, was aware of this flaw in the system but failed to act to correct the system. ABC Electoral Analyst, Antony Green,m independently confirmed my analysis of the 2007 Victorian Senate election.

By failing to act to correct the flaw in the way the Senate vote is counted the ALP has already lost a Senate seat and the Greens are the beneficiary of Bonus votes that the system delivers at the expense of other minor parties would oppose the Greens platform.